Appearance

The color of Vhagar's scales, horns, wing bones and spinal crest is unknown, as is the color of her flame. Her breath was so hot that it could melt the armor of a knight and cook him inside.[3]

By the time of the Dance of the Dragons, Vhagar was the hardened survivor of a hundred battles, had grown almost as large as Balerion and was the oldest and largest of the dragons in Westeros. Her roar was so powerful that it could shake the very foundations of Storm's End. No living dragon could match her for size or ferocity.[4]

Visenya next flew Vhagar to the Trident in the riverlands, where she met with her brother and sister, Rhaenys, and their respective dragons, Balerion and Meraxes, to face King Torrhen Stark, King in the North. Brandon Snow, the bastard brother of Torrhen, offered to sneak into the Targaryen camp at night to slay the dragons, but the northern king refused an attempt on killing Vhagar, Balerion, and Meraxes, and instead send his brother as an envoy, eventually bending the knee to the Targaryens.[6]

From there, Visenya flew to Crackclaw Point with Vhagar. She then flew Vhagar to Stoney Sept to link up again with her siblings, their dragons, and Aegon's army. They advanced south, where all three dragons took part in the decisive Field of Fire – the only battle in which all three of the Targaryen dragons took to the sky at the same time during Aegon's Conquest. Together, Vhagar, Meraxes and Balerion killed four thousand men, burning them alive. King Mern IX died, and with him House Gardener. The army was broken and House Targaryen was victorious.[6][5]

Afterwards, Visenya flew Vhagar back to the Vale, where she landed with her dragon in the inner courtyard of the Eyrie. When Dowager Queen Sharra Arryn reached the courtyard she found her son, King Ronnel Arryn, sitting on Visenya's knee, staring with wonder at Vhagar. The young king begged his mother for a ride on Vhagar's back. Sharra bent her knee and surrendered, and Ronnel rode on Vhagar trice about the summit of the Giant's Lance.[6]

First Dornish War

Following the deaths of Rhaenys and Meraxes in 10 AC at Hellholt in Dorne, Visenya and Aegon burned every Dornish stronghold at least once (except Sunspear and its shadow city) during a two-year period known as the Dragon's Wroth. The Dornish believed that the Targaryens refused to attack Sunspear because they were afraid that Princess Meria Martell might have purchased a device from Lys to slay Vhagar and Balerion with, although not everyone shared that opinion.[8]

When King Aenys, later that year, arrived at Dragonstone, fleeing the first rebels in the Faith Militant uprising, Visenya asked him to grant her to leave to take Vhagar and burn the Starry Sept in Oldtown. Aenys refused. When the king died early the next year, Visenya left Dragonstone within an hour of his death and flew Vhagar to Pentos, where Visenya's son Maegor lived in exile. After Maegor had claimed the crown on Dragonstone, Visenya accompanied him upon Vhagar and crossed Blackwater Bay to King's Landing. The return of both Vhagar and Balerion to King's Landing set off riots in the city.[9]

Visenya died on Dragonstone in 44 AC,[11][9] leaving Vhagar without a rider. With the death of Balerion in 94 AC,[12] Vhagar became the last of the three Targaryen dragons who had fought in the Conquest.

Reign of King Viserys I Targaryen

Vhagar's next known rider is Lady Laena Velaryon, who had become a dragonrider prior to the age of twelve. According to the maester at Driftmark, the seat of House Velaryon, Laena loved to fly. When Laena wed Prince Daemon Targaryen in 115 AC, they flew across the narrow sea to Pentos, Volantis, Qohor, and Norvos upon their dragons. Everywhere they went huge crowds came to catch a glimpse of Vhagar and Caraxes, Daemon's dragon. After Laena gave birth in 116 AC, Daemon brought both his own dragon and Vhagar back to Westeros. Laena and Daemon grew close with Daemon's niece, Rhaenyra Targaryen, and the three often flew together upon their dragons, Vhagar, Caraxes, and Syrax.[12]

Laena died early in 120 AC. It is said, that Laena attempted to reach Vhagar in her final hour as to fly one last time, but she did not have the strength. The ten-year old Prince Aemond Targaryen claimed Vhagar as his own dragon following Laena's funeral on Driftmark.[12]

Dance of the Dragons

By 129 AC, Vhagar had grown nearly as big as Balerion had been during Aegon's Conquest, and had become the largest living dragon of her time.[13] Prince Aemond flew on Vhagar to Storm's End, so they could win the support of Lord Borros Baratheon for King Aegon II Targaryen. There Aemond met with Prince Lucerys Velaryon. Aemond was forbidden from attacking Lucerys while both were in Borros's castle, Aemond was allowed to follow Lucerys outside. Thus, when Lucerys had risen into the sky on his dragon Arrax, Aemond mounted Vhagar and followed the young Velaryon prince. The two dragons fought during a great storm over Shipbreaker Bay, and Vhagar quickly overcame Arrax, whose severed head would wash ashore days later, along with the corpse of Lucerys.[4]

Aemond would continue to use Vhagar in battle during the civil war between King Aegon II and Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen. During the battle at Rook's Rest, Vhagar and Sunfyre ambushed the dragon Meleys and her rider Princess Rhaenys Targaryen. Meleys was an old and large dragon and may have stood a chance against Vhagar alone, but died from the combined assault. Vhagar was the only dragon who left the battle reasonably unharmed.[4]

The battle against Meleys left Aegon II severely injured, leaving him incapable of rule. Prince Aemond was appointed regent until such a time when Aegon himself could rule again. Aemond decided that the main threat in the war was Prince Daemon Targaryen, who was massing armies at Harrenhal. Aemond took Vhagar and most of the green forces from King's Landing north to attack Harrenhal, leaving King's Landing with very little defense. When Aemond and Vhagar arrived at Harrenhal, they found the castle undefended and empty, as Daemon had left some time before, to attack King's Landing, after having lured Aemond and Vhagar away from the capital.[4]

Here, Prince Aemond and Hand of the KingCriston Cole no longer agreed on how to proceed during the war. Aemond took Vhagar on a one-man war of revenge. They burned much of the riverlands, starting with every wooden structure in Harrenhal. Vhagar caused more destruction than an entire army, and severely harmed Rhaenyra's supporters in the riverlands - though Aemond's decision to abandon the army under Criston proved to a strategic blunder. Without Vhagar to protect them, Cole's army in the east was later surrounded and destroyed in the Butcher's Ball, leaving the east wide open to Rhaenyra's forces.[4]

Aemond and Vhagar continued the destruction of the riverlands and they became the terror of the Trident. Daemon Targaryen, on his dragon Caraxes, and the dragonseedNettles, on the dragon Sheepstealer, were sent to hunt Aemond. They were allowed to use Maidenpool as their base, as Lord Manfryd Mooton feared an attack from Vhagar, and found himself safer this way. Daemon and Nettles unsuccessfully searched together for Vhagar, who continued to terrorize the riverlands.

After the First Battle of Tumbleton, Prince Daemon Targaryen said his goodbyes to Lord Mooton and Nettles, and had word sent out that he and Caraxes would await Aemond and Vhagar at Harrenhal. After thirteen days, Vhagar appeared in the sky, carrying Aemond and his lover Alys Rivers on her back. The Battle Above the Gods Eye between Vhagar and Caraxes ended with Aemond dead, as Prince Daemon had put Dark Sister through his eye. Both Caraxes and Vhagar died as well. Vhagar died in the water, and her body was recovered only years after the Dance, with Aemond's armored bones still chained to the saddle. Vhagar was one hundred and eighty-one years old when she died, on the twenty-second day of the fifth moon of 130 AC.[4]

Known dragonriders of Vhagar

While he never claimed the dragon, King Ronnel Arryn flew three circles around the summit of the Giant's Lance during Aegon's Conquest on Vhagar's back.[6] It is unknown whether Visenya, Vhagar's rider at the time, was with him or not.

Quotes about Vhagar

“

You are a fool and a weakling, nephew. Do you think any man would ever have dared speak so to your father? You have a dragon. Use him. Fly to Oldtown and make the Starry Sept another Harrenhal. Or give me leave, and let me roast this pious fool for you. Vhagar grows old, but her fires still burn hot [9]

Prince Aemond's mighty dragon Vhagar sensed his coming first. Guardsman walking the battlements of the castle's mighty curtain walls clutched their spears in sudden terror when she woke, with a roar that shook the very foundations of Durran's Defiance.[4]

”

“

On the fourteenth day of the prince's vigil, a shadow swept over the castle, blacker than any passing cloud. All the birds of the godswood took to the air in fright, and a hot wind whipped the fallen leaves across the yard. Vhagar had come at last, and on her back rode the one-eyed prince Aemond Targaryen, clad in night-black armor chased with gold.[4]

”

Notes

↑Earlier prints of The World of Ice & Fire erroneously state that this event and the death of the High Septon took place in 44 AC (The World of Ice & Fire, The Reach: Oldtown). The Sons of the Dragon gives the correct date of 43 AC. The High Septon elected as a replacement, dies a year later.